This will be the new home for questions and responses addressed to (me and) John Polkinghorne.
As before, if you email nb_"at"_sciteb.com a question with Q4JCP in the subject I'll look at it and if it seems sensible respond. I aim then to send most of them to John to see if he has something to add, but have got rather behind on this. Your question (edited, including removing personal information) and the responses will then be posted here.

Sunday, 27 February 2011

what is the predictive potential of computer modeling, both now, and in the future?

As a computer scientist, what's your take on the increasing trend of computer modeling of natural systems? It seems to me that as computers become more powerful, we'll certainly be able to learn more from them. But how much, exactly, do you think it can teach us about complex and chaotic systems? Certainly the supercomputers of the future will be able to handle a great deal more variables than the ones of today - particularly if and when quantum computing is introduced on a large scale.

My fear is that this will lead to an erosion of the notion of uncertainty in the universe and a turn back toward determinism, with more and more variables being introduced and allowing experiments to take smaller variables into account.

In short, exactly what is the predictive potential of computer modeling, both now, and in the future?We learn a lot from computer models – one of the things we learn is that reality is not a computer.

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About Me

I'm webmaster of starcourse.org and polkinghorne.net.
IRL I'm a social philosopher/ strategy consultant, have 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Much of my thought on science and religion is outlined in my 2009 book "Questions of Truth" with John Polkinghorne.